A Shot in the dark (Bagginshield)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Despite what he told the world, his name had not always been Beorn.

Beorn was the name he took later in his life after he had decided on his final form. Before that he had been called Aga—a name his Mother had given him at his creation. When he asked her why, she had told him it meant, 'He who walks in twilight.' He never understood why she picked that name, but he didn't understand a lot of things his Mother did.

When he was still Aga, he had roamed the world freely in many forms. Most of the time he had chosen to be an animal, but he had tried out the skins of Men and Elves and even Dwarves for one very brief period. He didn't care for them very much which was why he stuck to animals. As a beast, he could smell and hear and taste things that he could not experience as a Man. He could not say why but the world just seemed much more vivid and alive to him when he stood on four legs instead of two.

His Mother had been the one who told him that he needed a final form. She had given him great freedom for a long time, but after he had seen his fill of the world, she had reminded him of his duties. He was created to serve the earth and it was time for him to do so. So he had obeyed her will and chosen his final form, and thus Beorn the shape-shifter was created.

Beorn could happily say that he enjoyed his life. He tended and cared for the earth that his Mother had created the best he could, and he protected her animals as fiercely as she had with him. He spent his days listening to the whispers of the trees and laughter of the wind, and his nights running freely under the moon. He never felt lonely or lacking because his Mother had not created him to want for nothing more than a good meal and a good laugh. Unlike his peers, he never cared for the lives of Men and Elves and Dwarves. He had walked and lived amongst enough of them to know their hearts, and what he found was not worth the effort. The others could save them or condemn them if they wanted; he was happy enough with his trees and dogs.

He would have happily stayed away from the dealings and plots of mortals if it was not for a certain bunny that crossed his path. Bilbo Baggins was fascinating to Beorn, and it was not just because he was a Hobbit traveling with Dwarves. No, he was fascinating because his soul was older than his body. He had met many different being in his lifetime, but this was the first time he had ever encountered an old soul trapped in a young body. It was quite a wondrous sight and it made him immensely curious. The Keeper of the Dead did not allow souls to be reborn with their previous lifetimes tainting it. So how did Bilbo Baggins ever come to be in such a state?

Beorn thought to ask Gandalf but the wizard did not seem aware of his Hobbit companion's state. That did not surprise him when he realized it. Beorn was neither beast nor mortal and so he could see things that others could not. This sight was why he could see how old Bilbo Baggin's soul truly was while one of the strongest of the Maiar remained blind.

The Hobbit fascinated him greatly. Not only did he have a unique soul, he also had an entertaining personality to go with it. Beorn could not remember the last time he had laughed so much! Everyday brought something new and exciting for Bilbo, and Beorn enjoyed every minute of it. He thought he could spend a hundred years watching the bunny and he would never grow bored.

Perhaps he was growing soft in his old age, but Beorn found himself growing rather fond of the Hobbit and the mismatched crew that seemed to follow him. He had never cared for the dealings of mortals before but, watching the Hobbit and Dwarves and Men and Elves fight and die for each other, Beorn thought he could learn to.

Bilbo did not go back to sleep after his dream. How could he when he had the ring cackling and taunting him in the back of his mind? It was as if his nightmare had awoken the damn thing and now it would not leave him alone. Over and over again it whispered its master's name with a fervor he did not think possible. The ring knew its creator was alive and it yearned to return to him as a zealot yearned for his god. Listening to it call for Sauron over and over again, Bilbo began to realize that he could not put off his mission to Mordor any longer. He had to destroy the One Ring as soon as possible before the Dark Lord noticed the cries of its precious ring.